scubaPhillip:
Doug, what camera setting is best to operate on? I notice I have many options to choose from.
Phillip;
I'm absolutely a rank amateur u/w photographer so please take anything I say with a grain a salt!
In general I try to keep major manipulation of the camera while in the water to a minimum. So I try to use the mode selector switch to my advantage by setting up my most likely scenarios between the auto and scene mode positions. Since I don't have a strobe as yet, most of my shots are taken in either macro mode with the internal flash on, or for longer general shots in auto mode with no flash.
A fact to bear in mind with the selector switch in 'scene' is if you try to modify parameters of one of the basic mode types you will lose them upon returning to scene after changing the selector. EG - if I set macro mode on, and turn the internal flash on (which is not part of the basic macro mode) then switch to auto on the selector - the flash is again off when I go back to scene. On the other hand, you can program auto mode (selector all the way to the left) to your hearts content and it will ALWAYS retain those settings even after a power off/on.
As an aside, I found that actuating the control for the mode switch was tricky at times until I roughed up the bottom of the rubber disk with sandpaper. Now I no longer have to press the disk hard against the switch to get it to slide.
So - I have been programming my macro mode to the left selector switch setting and then experimenting with a mode for longer shots that works okay without having to modify it. Right now I'm using 'back light' mode.
My biggest complaints about the L3 are the lack of any manual ASA control, and a long pause from focus to the shot. In my experience the L3 seems to want to shoot at about 50 asa even in low light conditions. If you or anyone else in this thread know how to solve this issue I'd really like to hear about it. With regard to the long pause, I'm considering going from 'back light' mode to 'sports' mode. In the sports mode, the goal is to take pictures as fast as possible. The book says 1.7 frames per second is achievable. This is accomplished by constant focusing even with your finger off the shutter button. I would think the downside of that would be higher draw on your batteries.
Looks like I've droned on more than enough for one post.
Good luck with your photos. Let us know how it goes for you.
